Level and inclinometer



. May 26, 1936.

c'. A. STOCKHOLM LEVEL AND INCLINOMETER Filed June 22, 1935 Patented May 26, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to inclinometers, and more particularly to pendulous devices of this character which are provided with various scales to indicate level degrees of inclination.

The main object of the invention is to provide a device of the character referred to, which can be manufactured cheaply and sold at low cost; and which will have all the characteristics of expensive instruments of precision for effecting the lO'same purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character with means for clamping the moving elements in any desired position of ular adjustment.

15" Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawing:

, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form 20 of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section to an enlarged scale, taken on the line 3--3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a pendulum, geared with a pinion for operating an indicator forming part of the present invention, part of the pendulum being broken away to show details of construction; and

30 Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse section taken on the line 55 of Figure 1. I

In the drawing, the invention is shown as comprising a casting I provided with a base 2, machined to form a plane surface adapted to be po- 35 sitioned upon any object, the inclination of which is to be determined. The base 2 is also provided with a recess 3, triangular in cross-section, adapting the device for use on shafts and other objects which are cylindrical or similarly curved in transverse section.

The casting I comprises also a central body 4 extending up from the base 2 centrally over the recess 3 and perpendicular to the plane face of the said base 2. The body 4 is provided with a large cylindrical aperture 5 adapted to receive, adjustably and detachably, the inclinometer mechanism, which is designated as a whole by the reference numeral 6. The inclinometer 6 comprises a cylindrical casing I which fits snugly but slidably within the aperture 5.

Standards 8 and 9 project upwardly from the lower part of casing I; and the upper ends of these standards are provided with coaxial screw- 55 threaded apertures I and Il adapted to receive the pivot screws I2 and I3, respectively. A shaft I4 having conical opposite ends, is supported for rotation about a normally horizontal axis by the pivot screws I2 and I3; and a pinion I is secured to the shaft I4 to mesh with gear teeth I6 formed on the upper part of the periphery of the cylindrical pendulum IT.

The pendulum I1 is secured at its center to a shaft I8, having its conical opposite ends rotatably received in the pivot screws I9 and 29, which properly meshed throughout all movements of the pendulum H. The lower part of the pendulum I! is provided with a chamber 2I adapted to be closed at its lower end by a screwthreaded plug 22, and to be filled with mercury, or other heavy material, to impart the characteristics of a pendulum to the cylindrical member I1.

To prevent undesirable oscillations of the pendulum II during transportation of the instrument, or to clamp it in any position of adjustment, the standard 8 has secured thereto and near the lower end thereof, a stud 23 provided at its outer end with the tip 24 of rubber or other resilient material. The standard 9 is provided with a screwthreaded aperture 25 directly opposite to the stud 23; and this aperture 25 carries an adjustable screw 26, provided at its inner ends with a tip 21 of rubber or other resilient material adapted to contact with the adjacent face of the pendulum H to clamp the pendulum securely against the resilient member 24. 35

A pair of indicators 28 and 29 are secured to the shaft I4 on opposite plane faces of the pinion I5 and extend radially therefrom. The upper ends of the indicators 28 and 29 extend through slots 30 and 3I formed in the upper part of the casing I; and are provided at their outer ends with indicating tips 32 and 33 bent over a central segmental part 34 of the casing 1, which is provided, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, with scales 35 and 36 reading in opposite directions from a central fiducial mark 31. The slots 30 and 3| extend throughout a semi-circle around th upper part of the casing to permit angular movements of the indicators 28 and 29 through an angle of 90 in either direction. The upper part of the casing adjacent the slots 30 and 3| is also provided with scales 38 and 39 extending in Opposite directions from a fiducial mark 40. Obviously, the indications of the instrument may be read 55 on the scales 35 and 36 at the top of the instrument or on the scales 38 and 39 formed on either face of the scale supports. a

To mount the inclinometer mechanism on the body 4, the casing 1 has formed thereon an annular flange 4| adapted to seat against a face of the body 4. Stud screws 42 and 43 are screwthreaded into the body 4 and are angularly spaced apart to hold the'flange 4| snugly against the face of said body, while at the same time permitting angular adjustment of. the inclinometer mechanism in the body of the instrument. The lower part of the body is provided with an internally screwthreaded bore 44 adapted toreceive a screw 45 having a butterfly clamping head 46 adapted to engage theflange 4| to clamp the inclinometer mechanism, in any position of angular adjustment in the cllindrical aperture 5.

The extent of angular adjustment may be determined by the degree scales 41, which are formed on the -faceof the body'4 concentrically around the edge of the aperture 5;

. the indicator ends 32 and 33 may be viewed.

Spirit levels 50 and 5| may be mounted in the base of the instrument to supplant the inclinome- To protect the mechanism, the casing of the inclinometer includes glass closure plates or win-- ter mechanism.

Since devices of this} character. must be used frequently in locations. where light is either poor;

or difiic'ult to produce, it is intended that .the various scalesand indicators shall be made se1fluminous, as by coating the indicators and scale markings with some kind ofphosphorescent or, radio-active material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1. An inclinometer comprising a base member having a plane face provided with a recess, a

' body extending perpendicularly to said base, and

having a cylindrical opening therethrough, a cylindrical casing slidably and rotatably mounted.

in said opening, means for clamping said casing in any position of "angular adjustment in said opening, a pair of standards'extending radially inward from the cylindrical wall of said casing, a pinion journaled in said standards, a cylindrical pendulum journaled in said standards to rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of said pinion, and having gear teeth meshing with the teeth of said pinion, the walls of said casing opposite the standards being slotted and having a scale formed on the periphery between said slots,

semi-circular scales fixed to said casing at the inner walls of said slots, and indicators extending radially from said pinion to read on all of said scales.

2. An inclinometer comprising .a base member 10 in any position of angular adjustment in said' opening, a pair of standards extending radially inward from the cylindrical wall of said casing,

a pinion journaled in said standards, a cylindrical pendulum journaled in said standards to rotate about an axis' parallel to the axis of said pinion and having gear teeth meshing with the teeth of said pinion, the walls of said casing opposite the standards being slotted and having a scale formed on the periphery between said slots, semi-circular. scales fixed to said casing at the inner walls of said slots, indicators extending radially from said pinion to read on all of said scales, and: means adjustable on said standards to clamp the pendulum in any desired position of angular adjustment. 1 a

.3. An inclinometer comprising a base member having a plane face provided with a recess, a body extending perpendicularly to said base, and having, a cylindrical opening therethrough, a cylindrical casing slidably and rotatably mounted in said opening, means for clamping saidcasing in any position of angular adjustment. in said opening, a pair of standards extending radially inward from thecylindrical wall of said casing, a shaft journaled in said standards, to rotate about the axisof said casing, a pendulum journaledin said standards to rotatev about an axis parallel to the axis of said shaft, means for transmitting the rotation of said penduluml to said shaft, the wallsof said casing opposite the standards being slotted and 'having a scale formed on the periphery between said slots, 7

semi-circular scales fixed to said casing at the inner walls of said slots, and indicators extending radially from said'shaft to read onall of said scales. v v CHARLES A. STOCKHOLM, 

